Insect seller - Mushiuri

Japanese: 虫売 - むしうり

In the Edo period, insect sellers with various insect cages attached to their checkered stalls appeared on the streets from around June, and were one of the seasonal sights of Edo. Morisada Manko states, "Fireflies were the most important, and they also sold crickets, pine crickets, bell crickets, crickets, jewel beetles, cicadas, and other insects whose sounds were appreciated. The insect cages were made in Kyoto and Osaka. Various types of cages were used, such as Edo-style cages, fan-shaped cages, and boat-shaped cages. Insect sellers sold their insects exclusively from roadside stalls. It was rare for them to travel around and sell their insects." Insect sellers were in business from early June until the O-bon festival in July, and since it was customary in Edo to release the insects they kept during the O-bon festival, they stopped selling them after the O-bon festival.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

江戸時代には6月ころから，市松模様の屋台にさまざまな虫籠をつけた虫売が街にあらわれ，江戸の風物詩の一つであった。《守貞漫稿》には，〈蛍を第一とし，蟋蟀（こおろぎ），松虫，鈴虫，轡虫（くつわむし），玉虫，蜩（ひぐらし）等声を賞する者を売る。虫籠の製京坂麁也。江戸精製，扇形，船形等種々の籠を用ふ。蓋（けだし）虫うりは専ら此屋体を路傍に居て売る也。巡り売ることを稀とす〉とある。虫売は6月上旬から7月の盆までの商売で，江戸では盆には飼っていた虫を放す習慣だったので盆以後は売れなくなったという。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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